


'Ding'

by Anonymous



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Abernathy/Percival Graves, Gen, M/M, MACUSA, elevator scene, inspired by tumblr user seasons-gredence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:25:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9722192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Abernathy plans for days to 'casually' ride the elevator with Percival Graves, director of Magical Security and Head of MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seasons-gredence](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=seasons-gredence).



> Based of: my parents told me a story today about how they were alone in an elevator and the door opened and jay leno stood in front of them, took one glance, and decided to use the stairs
> 
> so anyway i’m imagining percy doing that with abernathy 
> 
> (By Tumblr user Seasons-Gredence)

Abernathy had a notebook, which he held very close to himself. Not because what was inside was part of a magical-related, secret mission, but because what was inside could never be read by another person. Never. If anyone would- well. He might be fired. 

It had been a week since he had started writing in it. His primary excuse was to use the knowledge inside to figure out when he could sleep in, but he knew that was just a lie. He never slept in. The reason was very much different. 

Abernathy found himself close to the elevator Percival Graves, his handsome boss. His very, very handsome boss. Everything about him drew Abernathy closer, from the way he dressed -darn the man for never buttoning the top buttons of whatever shirt he was wearing- to the way he spoke like he cared so very little about the subject that was up for discussion. 

The nonchalance, he thought, was a very good opposite of himself. He always dressed himself with care, made sure that his work was perfect and that he always made other people feel like he cared about what they had to say if he deemed it important. 

The feeling of being drawn to Director Graves had brought him to the point where he had carefully written a schedule down in his notebook. The schedule described every day, every time and every elevator Percival used to get from wherever he was to his office. It was rather difficult to make such a scheme, as the Director was often called to Picquery to discuss matters that were not meant for Abernathy's ears. 

But he was certain that that day, it would happen. He would be standing in the same elevator as Percival, and perhaps they might start a conversation of sorts, or they might not even speak at all. But the idea of being close to Percival was so appealing, so alluring, that Abernathy did not care about what might happen in said elevator. 

He pressed buttons, ignoring the looks of people he was either the overseer of or people he did not know. The elevator went up, dropping off some people. Nobody came in, for which Abernathy was grateful. Until that moment he had hardly thought that anyone else might join them in the elevator. He pushed the thought away, trying to replace it with a nice thought about Graves. 

The elevator went down again, somebody must have pressed the button. Abernathy checked his pocketwatch, noticing how it was exactly the right time. It had to be Percival, he thought. The time matched the time on his schedule, right on time. He tucked the notebook away in the pocket of his suit, patiently waiting for the doors of the elevator to open. 

'Ding'. 

There it was. His heart pounded in his chest, and there was nothing he could do to calm it down. The doors slid open- too slowly for Abernathy's liking. Why was it that those things never went the way one expected them to?

On the other side of the door stood Percival Graves, who looked directly at him. Abernathy tried a small smile, but it had no effect. He saw Graves shake his head, and turn towards the door that led to the stairs. The doors closed again, before he could do anything. 

His plan had failed.


	2. Chapter 2

Abernathy felt slightly discouraged when his initial plan had not worked. It was kind of sad, really, that he had spent all that time working on the schedule, without a good outcome. He went back to work, a little more cranky than usual, thinking about what to do with the notebook now that his plan had failed. 

He mentally cursed the book, somehow thinking that it might benefit him to blame something other than himself for screwing up such a perfect situation. He took it out of his pocket, placing it on the desk in front of him. 

"Incendio," He whispered, watching the paper slowly catch fire.

”I hope you are not going to use that piece of paper to burn down the building,” A familiar voice came from his door. He had not even heard the Director knock, much less noticed him standing there. 

”I was not, mister Graves,” He pulled himself together as quickly as he could, but he thought it was difficult to think straight with Percival Graves, leaning against the door in a way that made his cheeks feel a little warmer than they were.

Abernathy did not diminish the fire, however, nor did he try to extinguish it with a simple spell. The booklet had almost burned completely, and when there was nothing but ashes left, he muttered a quiet vanishing spell.

”I saw you were waiting for me in the elevator earlier. Was there something you wanted to say or ask?” Merlin. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin. Abernathy opened his mouth to say something, to find an excuse as to why he was standing in the elevator, anything other than the truth.

Graves looked at Abernathy with a questioning look, moving away from the door and further into the man’s office. This only made Abernathy more uncomfortable, but he was determined not to let it show, resulting in him fumbling with the fabric of his trousers underneath his desk. 

”I had forgotten to bring lunch,” He said, a little unsure. He hardly ever took lunch from home to work, usually eating something from one of the bakeries down the street or forgetting to eat entirely. 

”You forgot your lunch.” Percival raised his eyebrows, not quite believing Abernathy, but choosing the easy way and not ask any further questions. “It is a shame you brought your own lunch. Picquery suggested some changes around here, employee wise. I wanted to talk to you about some of those things over lunch.”

Abernathy’s eyes widened, he sat up a little straighter and he stopped moving his hands in an awkward manner. “Oh.” 

”I would hate to keep you from your lunch. Enjoy it, we can discuss it later, when the time is more convenient and we are not about to be interrupted.” Graves glanced at the door, where one of the Ministry’s employees had approached. “I will talk to you later.”

When Graves walked away, passing by the employee who looked slightly intimidated by him, Abernathy could barely make himself say anything. Lunch. With Percival. He rubbed his eyes, wondering whether he had heard it correctly, or whether it was just a figment of his imagination. 

”Well? Are you coming in or what?” He asked the employee, a man called Johnson. He already disliked him, solely because he had interrupted whatever had been going on between him and Graves.


End file.
